Levels of qualifications attained makes a difference

The lower a young adult’s qualifications, the more likely they are to not be in employment but wanting paid work. For example, around a 25% of all people aged 25 to 29 with no GCSEs at grade C or above were not in employment but wanted paid work in 2010. This compares to around 7% of those with degrees or equivalent.

In terms of life chances strategy – the Child Poverty Action Group adopts the view of promoting labour market policies that create opportunities for progression from entry-level jobs. Over 55% of young people with GCSE’s below grade C or no qualification are low paid compared to around 12% of those with a degree or equivalent. www

.emptlondon.com The levels of qualifications gained may also impact on the life chances of the children of the low paid – as the recent loss of student grants may well have a financial impact on young people who go on to undertake degrees. The recent House of Commons briefing paper (June 2017:9) highlights that the ‘biggest impact of the loss of grants will be on students from the lowest income households’. Thus. the higher the level of qualification gained by young people correlates to a higher level of achieved pay. Therefore, all the different levels of qualifications appear to make a noticeable difference to the amount of paid income individuals achieve. www.emptlondon.com

The qualification levels in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are as follows

Entry level Each entry level qualification is available at three sub-levels – 1, 2 and 3. Entry level 3 is the most difficult.